Review: Ever Darkening by Janeal Falor

Book Blurb:

Perfection. Goodness. Elimination of evil. It's what seventeen-year-old Kaylyn has trained her entire life to achieve. But no one is prepared for the consequences of her actually defeating all evil people on the planet. Finally successful in her mission, Kaylyn faces an unfamiliar world, full of good people doing good things, in which she no longer has purpose. When the skies grow dark, and a stranger from another village pleads for her help, her instincts roar to life. It turns out their perfect world isn't exactly what it seems. Kaylyn's new quest, harder than any she's been on before, will rip apart her friendships, her life, and her soul more than any evil man ever managed to.

My Review:

3 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Another-World, Supernatural, Survival, Suspense--

Kaylyn has been chosen to be the Zopha to end the evilness of their region, to destroy all the Malryx from the world. While hunting the last evil being, her adoptive mother/ clan leader is murdered, devastating Kaylyn. After the Malyrxs destruction, Kaylyn is no longer needed and has to accept a new role with her people. While trying to figure out where she now fits, a stranger comes to her town asking for help from a new threat. Kaylyn and her friends are eager to provide assistance but don't understand what is coming next.

When I first saw the cover of this book, it was love. It was so pretty I knew I had to get to the luscious cream filling that was the plot. I had heard amazing things about the author’s other series Mine, which is on my wishlist to read, so I was really excited to get the chance to read this book. To be perfectly honest, it took me a good solid 60 pages out of the 160 page book before I got into this story and I was almost at the point where part of me wanted to stop reading and part of me that is a crazy compulsive would not let me because every book must be finished. Well, the crazy compulsive won and I kept on reading. The book did become more interesting the further I went, but I can say that this was not my favorite book. I liked the message that comes from the story, that everything must have balance and that the world cannot have only good. Yin and Yang at its purest.

I feel like the majority of the book was spent locked inside the head of the main character Kaylyn. The book uses her as a tool to sort through the concept of good and evil. The reader goes through the journey she takes to discover what happens at a nearby village, while internally struggling with her new role in society, what the loss of evil means to her personally, and how sacrifices need to be made for the greater good. I had a hard time connecting with her because I found her un-relatable as a person. That’s not to say that I don’t sympathize with her plight and struggle with being “the Chosen One” and the loneliness and burden that envelops her. I felt like she was not only standoffish to the other characters in the book but to me the reader as well.

The author did an amazing job with atmosphere. The pages were dripping with suffering and confusion, wrapping the reader up in cloak of misery. This was not a happy joyful tale, but one of devastation and loss and you can feel that clearly through the words written by the author. I could feel and see everything that took place right along with Kaylin, regardless of me wanting to or not. I was a little lost about the world the book took place in as well as the powers the characters had. Strange words were used as nouns that I had nothing to base them on and it seemed like it was a given as to what it was suppose to be (but I was full of uncertainty).

Overall this was an interesting read, but not at all what I expected or had hoped for. I thought the author did a good job of creating a story to show how things are not as simple as we make them out to be and I can honestly say I will never look at a sheep the same way. I thought the writing was well done but the story was not for me. I would like to still read more form this author in the future because she was great with building a mood.

I received this title from the author and Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.